


Omnia Vincit Amor

by Coffeela



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Angel/Demon Relationship, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Slow Burn, Worldbuilding, there are some more pairings but it'd be spoiler, these children deserve the world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-01-10 21:33:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12308241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coffeela/pseuds/Coffeela
Summary: "Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey." - Lord George Gordon ByronIt's been almost two thousand years after the Apocalypse occurred. Animals which inhabit the planet are few, humans are even fewer. Earth now swarms with angels and demons, fighting for the souls of the last survivors. Can love blossom in a place like this, where a pointless war is the main character and hope for the future is its worst enemy?





	1. A like Annoying

The colour of the sky was a mystery since long ago: at first sight you could tell it was hoary, but taking a closer look resulted in noticing a bluish shade through the clouds which covered the sky so much it was impossible to discern its hue. Emil recalled the time when he was little and used to stare in awe at the shape of the clouds and the way they filtered sunlight, for hours and hours. Growing up, he learnt that that time was wasted: his brother often told him that wasn’t the real sky, but an illusion instead, something that concealed its true colour because of demons and corrupted humans. Finding out the real colour of the sky was why young Emil decided to follow in his older brother’s footsteps as Archangel, even if now his cause was a completely different one.

Said angel was diligently patrolling the surrounding area. He ran his left hand through his locks, in spite of some rebellious strands of hair which refused to stay put. Then, he pulled out a tissue and started to polish his gun, the weapon he used to wipe filthy demons clean out of existence. While he buffed it, the angel remembered when his brother’s best friend first gave it to him with a big grin fixed on his face, the present being his way of welcoming him in the team, not without first giving him a lecture about being cautious during his new job. He’d also said that gun was made by the best blacksmiths in the whole Angel Kingdom, but Emil wasn’t really sure about that, as Mathias had a thing for emphasizing everything he said. However, he was a really talented demon-slayer, so Emil respected him.

He didn’t even remember if there was a time when his brother Lukas and his peculiar friend Mathias were not together, for Emil had been seeing them together since he was able to walk. The three of them were as close as a family could possibly be and, despite his overprotective big brothers, Emil was able to pursue his own dream. There were different types of angels: seraphim and cherubim resided in the first sphere, being the most powerful as well as the purest. Dominions protected mount Solomon, which was the entrance to the Angel Kingdom. Archangels were the ones in charge of saving human souls from corruption, which led to their ban from the kingdom: they weren’t, in fact, pure enough to be allowed in, being subjected to the tarnished air of the human world. Lastly, angels were the youngest: when the time came, they could become Archangels if they possessed great combat skills, or rather Authorities if they preferred defensive artes. Everyone had their reasons. Emil did too.

The young archangel pricked up his ears: a noise had caught his attention, but he wasn’t really sure about its whereabouts. It sounded like a dog’s yelp, but Emil knew that few dogs still lived in this world, so few you could count them on the fingers of your hand. He held his gun firmly and started to breathe slower, closing his eyes, and that was when he heard that animal-like whimper again. He took a few steps towards the source of that sound: the aching being was probably in the forest. The angel hesitated before he went in as silently as he could, deciding not to use his wings: being that majestic, they could easily get in his way in such a dense forest. The more he drew near, the more he understood that it wasn’t a dog which was whining. It was a human. More precisely…

“...A child” a surprised Emil whispered, lowering his weapon. In front of him was a little girl who Emil guessed being not older than five: her right hand was tied to the lowest branch of an oak with a leather belt, her white dress was filthy and torn apart, her hair was a mess and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. With his advanced senses, Emil perceived her weak breath: that young human was barely alive. Emil frowned, how could someone do something like that to a defenseless child? The moment he had approached her, she looked at him frightened. That child seeing him meant that she was close to dying, and this made Emil grit his teeth in a motion of anger, but he did his best to look friendly. Well, as friendly as Emil could be, at least. “Don’t worry, I’m here now. I’m taking you home” he told her softly, careful not to scare her. The girl flinched; in that moment, a breeze ruffled Emil’s hair.

The sudden gust alarmed him. Emil quickly turned around, scanning the area with his anemone-coloured eyes. There was no way that wind was natural, Emil was no amateur. He held his gun again, when another breeze lifted his creamy silk blouse. Angered, Emil loaded his weapon, putting himself in front of the little girl to protect her from potential attacks. By hearing a rustle in the bushes, Emil lost his temper. “Show yourself!” he snapped without lowering his guard. A mischievous laugh came from behind the trees. That chuckle irritated Emil, it was the scornful one of those who walked in the shadows and relished on their neighbour’s misfortune: demons. His brother’s voice echoed in his head. Don’t feel any emotion. Nor excitement, nor fury. Free your soul and your mind from any feeling, be like the ice. Emil tried his best to do as he was told.

Like a panther lurking in the shadows, a silhouette emerged from darkness. Despite his presence being undetectable, few steps of the demon were enough to scare the little wildlife inhabiting the forest away. The little girl started to tremble, yet Emil was unperturbed, dismissing the shivers down his spine generated not from fear, but from anger. Moonlight revealed part of the creature’s face. Emil didn’t manage to observe him carefully because of the darkness, however it was better that way: Lukas always said that demonic charm could sometimes be so effective that it was able to lure its victim into the oblivion, forever. Even if that statement was to take with a grain of salt due to the hatred Lukas held towards Satan’s disciples, Emil wasn’t one to risk. Nevertheless, he made sure to look right into his opponent’s eyes, trying to intimidate him but also to show that he wasn’t scared of him. He couldn’t pinpoint the demon’s colours, still he noticed how his piercing eyes were almond-shaped. Tense atmosphere disappeared suddenly when the young devil broke into laughter, covering his mouth with his left hand. He bended over a little in the process, making his curved horns visible. Anyway, Emil was too irritated to notice.

“Sorry, sorry, but you should really see your face,” the laughing demon mocked waving his hands, “this wind trick An taught me truly is funny. Ah, but when you reassured the brat over there, did you, like, consider me as well? Cause I can’t believe you’d be so stupid to fall into a trap like this”. Emil pointed his gun at him, infuriated, but the demon raised his hands. “Woah, there, angel face, it’s not like I wanna fight. It’s a nuisance, you know? Actually, this whole thing was a trap, but since today I’m feeling lazy, luckily for you, hear me out: you get lost and I’ll take the bundle of joy over there, what do you sa—” he was interrupted by three firm shots in his direction, but he was able to avoid them. With hands in his pockets, the cheeky hooligan sighed. “Angels are all the same. You try to sort things out peacefully and they immediately resort to violence. And I even thought you were a special little angel. Guess I’ll, like, follow the original plan” he commented dramatically, making the same gesture he did before to lift the breeze. Confused at first, Emil jolted when he heard screaming behind him. Turning around, he saw the child holding her neck with her free hand, making choking sounds while an invisible grip pressed against her throat.

“Stop this immediately, you damn beast!” Emil ordered. The other one smirked. “Even if I, like, really fancy animals, I’d rather you call me by my name. And for your information, it’s Kaoru. Nice to meet you” he introduced himself without ceasing to torture the little girl. Emil looked daggers at him, knowing that ‘Kaoru’ couldn’t possibly be his true name, because someone who knew a demon’s true name became their master. During his studies, Emil once read that a long time ago, when demons were angels capable of love, revealed their true name to their soulmate. Not that Emil ever believed that. Regarding angels, only Seraphim and Cherubim were so powerful to own a true name. “I couldn’t care less” was in fact the stern reply from the young archangel, in the process of recharging his gun. He knew what Kaoru wanted to do: fight for the soul of the little girl. “You’re a rude angel face, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun” the other one calmly asserted, not moving a muscle. Emil shot him with three bullets filled with Holy Water. Afterwards, he observed the cloud of smoke generated from the impact. It was over.

Or so he thought. The smoke wasn’t generated by the impact, rather by the fact that they were evaporated — well, Kaoru vaporised them. At least now Emil knew that Kaoru was a fire demon. And yet, despite this great power, some Holy Water drops had landed on his left arm, which was being held by the other one in pain. Emil stepped forward triumphantly, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the cold gaze of who before was a playful demon. Emil gulped. “Not bad, angel face. Now you can go show off your first victory. Lemme give you a present to celebrate” Kaoru hissed, proceeding to touch the ground with his uninjured hand. Then he quickly flew away, disappearing as fast as he had appeared. “Come back, you coward!” Emil yelled, failing to notice the little flames Kaoru had created in the ground. The angel shook his head and calmly worked on the belt that trapped the girl who had passed out. He panicked when the flames now engulfed the entire forest. Coughing and mentally cursing Kaoru, Emil managed to free the child: picking her up, he soared towards the sky.

Looking at the view underneath, Emil grinned: yes, he’d definitely show off his victory.


	2. B like Belief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse of what life in the demon kingdom looks like... and the calm before the storm.

It was only natural to imagine the Demon Kingdom as a ghastly, eldritch place, where agonizing cries reverberated through the flames of sin, identifying it as hell itself. Actually, it was nothing like that. The place we call Hell and depict as the apogee of suffering was nothing less than the location where the stolen human souls are kept: those, being made of divine matter and constantly tending towards harmony, found nothing but despair in a setting that refused by definition everything that can be labelled as godly. Demons, however, followed the social structure Lucifer programmed billions of years before, which totally differed from its opponent’s. Something like a Demon Kingdom didn’t exist, but rather demons were gathered in groups depending on their kind, which in turn were divided in clans. For instance, the Golachab, demons of wrath, chose an eastern hilly territory which was on the surface, unlike other demons’ lands. That area was where Kaoru was heading, holding his injured arm. Luckily for him, his clan — called Wang, was one of the few which knew how to use medicinal herbs: demons didn’t have, in fact, regeneration powers.

Finally he reached his destination, the Tower of the Red Dragon, a pagoda-like structure where his clan lived. He knocked. Twice softly and thrice strongly to be recognised. A lively voice chirped from the inside: “Password please!” was the sentence that made Kaoru sigh heavily.  
“Yong, stop being stupid and let me in, or I’ll get angry” he threatened. The other one laughed. “You? Gettin’ angry? It’s so rare for ya to get mad that I wonder if you’re really a Golachab!” the demon inside the building retorted.   
Kaoru growled, unable to deny his fellow demon’s words. Despite his race, Kaoru controlled his emotions pretty well: he kept a calm and cold demeanour while using his fire powers at full potential. The moment he tried to say something, Yong Soo opened the door and gasped. “Kaoru! You’re hurt!” saying so, Yong Soo took his friend by the wrist and dragged him down the hallways, “You should’ve said something earlier!”. Kaoru shrugged. “It’s not that serious anyway” he commented sheepishly.

The room they made their entrance into was quite elegant. The walls were plain red, but against them were hung mirrors and decorations in carved lacquer. The furniture was made mostly of mahogany, on which were exposed ceramics, goblets of gold and vases. In the centre of the room stood a table made of blackwood, where sat both Yao, the head of the family, and Cheng, his younger brother. Two of the most powerful demons ever lived chatting merrily in front of a cup of bancha tea like two old women, it sounded like a joke, but there they were. The first one to notice the younger demons’ presence was Yao. “Aiyah, where are your manners? Didn’t I teach you how to knock before– Kaoru! What’s wrong with your arm?” Yao stood up immediately, worried, rushing to Kaoru’s side. “One of them shot me. But I didn’t, like, realize the bullets were filled with Holy Water. Sorry” Kaoru explained that while lowering his gaze. Yao glared at Cheng, who simply smiled waving his fan. Rumours said he won that fan in a duel with the demon prince Baal. “To what do I owe your frown, brother?” he calmly asked, but Yao didn’t fall for it. “You didn’t assign a task to the boys in the northern lands again, did you?” Yao inquired. Kaoru rolled his eyes: he hated being considered as a baby. The moment Cheng nodded, Yong Soo jumped on his feet. “I’ll bring healing herbs!” he announced, storming off the room.   
“Cheng, I demand an explanation” Yao stated, articulating the words in order to make himself clear. 

Cheng took a sip of his tea. “I presume you are informed of our unfavourable situation against the angel army in the north. I just assumed Kaoru could go there on a reconnaissance mission”. Despite his explanation, Yao didn’t seem convinced. Cheng gracefully wiped his lips with a napkin and continued, “Obviously, I didn’t by any means sent him without any preventative measure. Kaoru, care to explain your mentor what our original plan consisted in?”. Yao looked at Kaoru, who answered: “Like he says. I used a prisoner Cheng captured, like, weeks ago, as a hostage. The perfect scenario was me bringing back the brat and force the angel to reveal precious info. But I underestimated him”. Yao frowned and sat down again. “You did what you could. I just wish you’d brought back the girl, children are rare nowadays” the head of the family lamented while Yong Soo was back with a first aid kit.  
While Yong Soo mended his friend’s arm, Kaoru looked at Cheng. “What are we going to do now?” he asked. “If my dear brother agrees, I shall illustrate you my strategy” Cheng replied. Yao shook his head in a resigned way, making some of his long ebony locks fall on his shoulders. His thousand years of age had made him wise and also experienced in reading other people’s intentions, even his inscrutable younger brother. “This war has been raging since forever, but that’s simply because of our nature: we see an angel, we fight him and we steal the soul of the humans he protected. What strategy do you have to plan? Unless you want to stop this war. And I really hope you don’t” Yao stated solemnly. He was right. Yet, Cheng didn’t stop to smile knowingly.

“I have no intention of stopping the war. After all, since the Apocalypse the world has been exactly as we desired it to be: pervaded with anguish and desolation, a place where hope is ephemeral like life itself. Nevertheless, I can’t comprehend why do humans still believe in their god. This unwavering faith they have is problematic, because it strengthens angels and episodes such as the great failure in the north happen. And I am convinced, dear brother, that prevention is better than cure. Angels are hiding something. Think about it. How can they be so calm when they clearly are at a disadvantage? Guardian angels are becoming less and less, their troops are halved, humans can’t even see them anymore, yet why is their belief increasing? I feel as if we don’t unravel this secret, we will be doomed. They are plotting something. In fact, even if I do not, they do want to end this war”  
Yao didn’t answer. 

The younger demons looked at Cheng speechless. Cheng continued. “Angels have always been dutiful in their work. If they couldn’t report the word of God orally, they would write it down for humans to see. In this way Gospels were born. This led me to think: what if they have written something somewhere and humans read it, thus regaining faith? In the event that the manuscript is within our grasp, we will be able to crush them. Kaoru, you are perfectly able to conceive your emotions and go unnoticed in their territories. I am sure you would complete this mission just fine”. Yao slammed his hands on the table. “Are you willing to make us risk this much just for a sixth sense of yours?!” he fumed. Cheng didn’t waver. “Brother, do you even recall a time in our long life when an intuition of mine was wrong? Even if this was to be the first time, though, it’s not like we actually risk something, do we? Kaoru is capable of looking after himself, you should stop treating him like a kid. Kaoru, do you wish to voice a concern?” Cheng looked at Kaoru, who was busy staring at the table, thinking intently. He didn’t particularly care about killing angels, it was just a way to spice up his monotonous immortal life, he wouldn’t risk anything if his life depended on it. But he wanted to keep his family safe, plus Cheng’s speech seemed reasonable. 

“I don’t have any. I can do it. Like, it’s just about finding important waste paper, right? I’m on it” he resolved, earning a fond smile from Cheng. “That was quite an oxymoron you have there,” he commented while Yong Soo asked Yao what an oxymoron was, “after your wound is treated, come and find me in my studio. I shall give you the details of your mission”. Kaoru nodded and left the room, followed by an excited Yong Soo. 

“So you’re going to beat the shit out some holy fuckers?” he asked cheerfully, free to swear as much as he liked it due to the absence of his mentors. Kaoru smirked.

“Oh, you bet”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter here! I planned to update this weekly, but things got out of hand... anyways, I'll try to update regularly! As you saw, I modified the chapter titles, because before I didn't really know how to name them, then a friend of mine suggested the alphabet! Also, Yong Soo is South Korea and Cheng is Macau, in case you were wondering! See you soon with chapter three!


	3. C like Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emil must deal with his action's consequences. Will this lead to something else?

Saving someone wasn’t as simple as one could think. It wasn’t just about being strong and fighting bad people, it was also about being able to take responsibility for your actions. That’s what slipped out Emil’s mind when he took the young human back to safety and away from demons’ grasp. The archangel sighed as he recalled the events that followed.

_Every question Emil tried to ask the girl remained unanswered as the human was too shocked to reply. She kept staring into the void, her eyes dull and her stance still. Emil gave up in engaging a conversation with her, thinking about the previous battle instead. That demon looked young, he couldn’t have possibly been more experienced than himself, yet the angel could sense his strength and luckily for him his bullets were Holy Water-filled. He also wondered what was he after, since he flew away so easily._  
_Finally he arrived at the bottom of mount Solomon, observing how the edge vanished among the clouds coloured with that annoying greyish shade. Even if Emil didn’t particularly wish to belong in the world up there, he wondered what those clouds hid. What were Seraphim and Cherubim like? How were they born? How did angels even come into the world? Why–_  
_“Emil!” the husky voice that belonged to his brother made Emil snap back into reality. As he turned around, Emil saw an angel whose platinum blonde hair were held by a cross-shaped pin coming towards him. He wore the official Archangel Uniform, consisting of white jacket, waistcoat, trousers and shoes, whereas the navy blue shirt was his own choice. His elegant clothing just added to his natural beauty._  
_“Lukas” the younger angel called, trying to hide the little girl behind himself, “we’ve got a…”_  
_“Problem” Lukas completed for him, glaring at the child. He gracefully put his feet on the ground as he stated: “I demand an explanation”._  
_Emil told him everything while Lukas listened carefully. Dependable and straightforward, unwavering and unbiased, it went without saying that Lukas was one of the most respected archangels by his coworkers, and Emil was no exception: even if he thought his brother could be overprotective and embarrassing, he still had a high regard for him._  
_“I see” Lukas nodded at the end of Emil’s report. “You’ve done well, brother. It was your first time encountering a demon while patrolling, but you managed to defeat him” he continued, making Emil gulp: the younger knew Lukas wasn’t one to congratulate easily, that’s why compliments were usually followed by a complaint. “However” came in fact the disapproval “we can’t possibly keep the human. Now that you’ve saved her, what do you intend to do with her?”_  
_That’s a nice question, Emil thought. He glanced at the child near him: she was staring into the void, eyes dull, making Emil feel sympathy for her. Despite this, Emil wasn’t really good at socialising: he was always afraid of being misunderstood and he didn’t even like being touched – hugs, pats, strokes, Emil despised them all. From this point of view, Emil reminded an awkward human teen._  
_“I’ll take her home” Emil retorted without controlling his words as that was the first idea that came to his mind. Lukas hummed. “If that’s your answer, as your big brother I’m going to help you” he accepted, taking a closer look to the human in front of him. Emil blinked: how could it have been so easy? Lukas faced then his brother._  
_“She’s wearing a cotton robe, her skin is olive-coloured, she’s at ease near the forest. Probably comes from one of the villages located South of river Rhenus 1” Lukas deduced. Surprised, Emil couldn’t help asking. “What village out of the many?”_  
_“You should observe carefully your surroundings. This little mistake of yours will help you learn to take responsibility, even for your good actions” Lukas retorted, walking away._

Emil had studied a lot before being chosen, he had sunk in a brown study through wholesome textbooks about human history and geography, but telling one’s residence only by their appearance? That was absurd. It was even more difficult if you think that before the Apocalypse the world was divided in continents which were very distant from each other, yet distinguishing an ancient American from an ancient Canadian just by their looks was quite complicated: how was Emil supposed to do that now that borders and cultures didn’t even exist? Emil knew that Lukas had given him this task to reflect on how tough is it to save someone: he’ll think twice before doing something so reckless ever again.

Once he went past the river Lukas talked about, Emil landed on the ground, placing the child beside him, and transformed into his human form. Usually both angels and demons used it to hide among humans or to interact with them. Regarding angels, the light they emanated disappeared, their blonde hair became darker and their colorful eyes brownish. As for Emil, though… like other angels in their human form, his wings were invisible and his light went off, but his looks were exactly the same. His pals called it ‘partial mutation’, and Emil was never able to fully transform into a human.

After some walking, the duo arrived at a village Emil recalled being named Argentoratum2, consisting in few houses gathered around a single dilapidated bell tower. The sight was sorrowful: the streets were empty, except for rodents and tramps begging for money, houses were either in ruins or uninhabited, shops were poorly supplied and silence ruled over the whole village. Most of the small human towns shared this condition, but it was always a distressing sight to bear. Emil glanced at the girl: judging by how she was studying her surroundings, she probably hadn’t seen that place before. Even so, they visited while searching for someone who recognized the girl, failing in the process though.

It was getting darker as time went by, and the duo had visited four villages already, each one looking miserable and lifeless, without the child recognizing someone. They stopped near the forest: Emil built a campfire and watched over the other one who was sleeping soundly. The angel looked then at his map: they had visited every village near the river that was marked on the map, so Emil guessed her homeland was either hidden or very small. In any case, it was too late to resume their search, and Emil felt his eyelids grow heavier as his human form required basic needs such as sleeping. He changed into his angel form, feeling refreshed, and watched over the little human as the night went by.  
It wasn’t even dawn when the two started searching again. Emil had taken his human form again and they were just exiting a nearby village when suddenly the girl tripped.

“Are you alright?” Emil asked while helping her to stand on her feet again. He checked her knee to see if was scratched, but found something else instead. The white-haired widened his eyes as he saw a blue tattoo on the younger’s leg.  
“Do you know what’s this?” Emil inquired earning no reply. Sighing, he studied the piece of artwork: it was the shape of a snake curled around a diamond. Underneath, some words were written. It wasn’t Comton, the common tongue humans spoke, nor Enochian, the language of angels and demons. It was Latin, but only angels spoke it between them, how was it possible for a child to have a tattoo with a latin sentence?

“Omne solum forti patria est. Why is that–” Emil was interrupted by a gust of wind. He saw about ten people approaching: they were wearing dark blue capes and their hoods covered their face. One of them, shorter than the others, made her way in front of the angel, who reflexively stood up. He was prepared to battle, when suddenly the child started going towards the figure. “Wait, stay here!” Emil exclaimed, but the mysterious stranger wrapped their arms around the smaller body, and Emil swore he’d seen the hint of a smile underneath the hood.  
The stranger revealed herself: she was an old woman with grey hair and icy blue eyes. Staring at Emil, she cleared her throat. “We are grateful to you for having escorted back safely the daughter of our chief. In return, we shall spare your life on your way back. Now please leave” she ordered.

“Wait a second, you” Emil felt offended. The least they could do was explaining what was going on, “are you even humans? What kind of tribe is this? Why aren’t you on the maps?” At his questions, the elder replied: “What you see is what is left of the Christian community. All we do is to pray and to stay hidden from demons. If you are wondering how did we appear so suddenly, it is because an angel taught it to us. But you probably don’t believe me”. Emil started at her wide-eyed. “An angel did?” he replied, dumbfounded. She nodded. “The same one who gave us the Fifth Gospel. We are trying to spread knowledge about it in order to give hope again” she replied.

Emil didn’t know about the existence of a fifth gospel. If there was something so important going on, he would have known. He thought that somebody might have been deceiving those innocent people. “Do you know where did you last saw him? I want to pay him my prayers”

The woman glared. “For sure you’re not a demon, if you were my granddaughter wouldn’t be here. As a fellow believer, I shall answer you. We last saw him near the waterfall after this forest. May your prayers be heard” and with this, the whole group disappeared.

“Humans sure are peculiar” the archangel muttered to himself as he resumed his angel form and proceeded towards the direction the woman told him.  
Once he reached the waterfall, Emil looked around. It was then when he realized he didn’t really know what to expect. He felt awkward. “What did I get myself into?” he let out a frustrated groan.

“Guess it’s fate if I, like, get to meet you again”

Emil winced. That annoying voice was familiar. He turned around to look at its source. “It’s you again” he fumed “what business do you have here?”

“Why should I tell you? Like, I’m still pissed about last time, shouldn’t you make up for that?” the demon smirked. With the sunlight, Emil had the chance to take a better look at him: he had choppy chocolate-brown hair, asian features, his figure was slender and wore black attire consisting of a strange shirt, a blazer with sleeves rolled up his elbows and loose cropped trousers. His wings were red shaded and his horns were dark and curved.

“Right, this time I’ll make sure to destroy you” Emil retorted, charging his handgun. Kaoru smirked. “I can’t get fooled twice” he muttered under his breath, flying toward Emil. The angel didn’t even have time to shot: with a kick, Kaoru snatched the gun from his hands. Emil cursed and aimed for Kaoru’s neck, but the latter grabbed his arm and squeezed it, making the angel whine out of pain. With another kick from the demon, Emil was on the ground, firmly held by Kaoru.  
“I hate you so much!” right before Kaoru could punch him, Emil bit Kaoru’s wrist, causing the demon to backtrack, giving Emil the chance to pummel at his chest repetitively. The two continued beating each other, so focused that Kaoru didn’t even have the time to cast a spell and Emil forgot about his own weapon on the ground. 

Emil could see Kaoru’s deep red eyes glaring at him as he had an idea: he took his human form because his wings were a hindrance to fight. Kaoru was startled, but when Emil started moving nimbly, the demon realised why during a hand-to-hand combat their human form could be more useful. So he also turned into a human resuming their fight shortly thereafter.

Under Kaoru’s weight, Emil bashed the demon off of himself, reaching for his weapon, near the waterfall. However, Kaoru surprised him from behind, making him lose his balance. Emil grabbed Kaoru’s jacket before falling with him down the waterfall. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Kaoru’s annoyed expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Two days ago I finally gave my last university exam (for this year, at least) and it's been tough, so expect more frequent updates!  
> 1: "Rhenus" is the Latin name for the Rhine, a famous river that crosses central Europe  
> 2: "Argentoratum" is the ancient name of nowadays' Strasbourg


	4. D like Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The angel and the demon would have never thought they would get into such a situation, but Fate had other plans for them...

_ Long ebony locks danced in the wind. Their owner tried to keep them away from her face, but failed to do so. She turned around. Her face was barely visible, except for a faint smile. Her laughter as she spread her arms got mixed up with another one, more masculine and deep. Right when the woman approached, darkness fell and everything disappeared. _

Kaoru opened his eyes breathing heavily. He touched his forehead: that dream again. Deducing by the fact that he couldn’t feel his horns, he realised he was still in his human form, laying in a bed. Little by little, he started to observe his surroundings: the room hosting him wasn’t very spacious, but its simple furniture and the little fireplace near his bed made the environment really cozy. Focusing on the sound of the logs crackling in the fireplace, Kaoru tried to recall what had brought him there.

He had been sent by one of his tutors, Cheng, in the northern lands in order to find a manuscript that looked like something written by angels and understandable to humans. Cheng had told him to use the gospels as a reference, but Kaoru wasn’t really sure about what was he going to search for. However, he was on his way when something occurred. Or rather, someone interrupted him.

_ Angel face. _

Kaoru frowned and looked at his left. Like himself, he was laying on another bed, but he was sleeping, still in his human form. That was probably for the best: judging by the wooden comfy house they were in, the possibility that they were found by humans was high. Had they kept their normal appearance, no one could’ve seen them, and their wounds would have never been treated. Well, the injuries wouldn’t have been that serious in the first place if they hadn’t transformed into humans. But they had, and dealing with the consequences was the main reason for Kaoru’s growing headache.

The demon tried to sit down, but failed after few attempts. His chest was bandaged up: he just wore some shabby trousers. He couldn’t even sleep because of the pain in his head. Cursing under his breath, Kaoru looked at the boy near him: sure his expression was peaceful for being the cause of his problems.

It was not before long that Kaoru heard footsteps approaching. He immediately pretended to be asleep as someone opened the door and placed something on the little table beside their beds. 

“Oh, I see one out of two is awake!” a cheerful male voice called. Kaoru wondered how this mysterious person knew he wasn’t sleeping: he had made sure to keep his breathing as regular as possible and his eyes were firmly shut. Sitting up a bit, he saw a man with light blonde hair and violet eyes, wearing oversized clothes that didn’t, however, completely hide his chubby sides. Said man was now gazing at him with a surprised expression on his face.

“Guess I was wrong, both of them are awake!” he added cheerfully. Kaoru looked at the angel beside him, his back leaned against the pillow and chest covered in bandages like his own.  _ Ah, he was talking about him _ , Kaoru thought still staring at the other boy, who was now reciprocating his glare.

“Now, now! Why don’t we all try to get along? It’s not like you could fight now anyway” the human smiled. Kaoru tried to make a snarky remark, but the man anticipated him. “My name is Tino! I live here with my family. We found both of you at the shore near the woods, you were really banged up there, you even slept for three days straight!” while explaining, he had started to dunk a towel in the water-filled bucket he placed on the table before. 

Kaoru didn’t exactly have a deadline in finding what Cheng wanted, but the time he spent sleeping could have been much better used. Again, he looked at the white-haired boy, expecting to find him startled. However, he was studying intently their saviour, who smiled in response. “Something wrong, dear?”

That’s when it hit him. Tino was speaking fluent Enochian, not Comton like every other human did. Maybe that was why the angel was staring at him?

“You’re Tino” the angel stated, wide-eyed. Kaoru rolled his eyes. “No shit, like, he’s just said so” the demon commented, earning a glare from the other one. Tino, instead, wore now a sad smile on his face.

“Idiot, I mean Tino, an angel who was really close with my brothers” the archangel continued, still looking at Tino. “Why are you here? They said you were…”

“Dead, right? I didn’t think you’d recognize me, you were still little when I last saw you, Emil” Tino chuckled, approaching Kaoru and placing a wet towel on his forehead. 

_ So that’s his name. Emil. _

If you named something, it suddenly obtained a light of its own, and you saw it differently. Kaoru had experienced it when he named his four pandas that now lived in the garden near his room. He just loved names, their meanings and how they’d fit their owners. Maybe that was why, in his eyes, Emil started to glow slightly.

“I’m sorry, I can’t really tell you here,” Tino looked at Kaoru, his usual smile implying suspicion, “but I will. Promise” he gently patted Emil’s head, then returned near the bucket to soak another towel. Kaoru could see Emil’s disappointed look: he wanted to know more, and this triggered Kaoru’s curiosity too. But he’d never say it aloud.

“You can tell him” Kaoru told Tino, leaning his head onto the pillow again. “I’m not that interested to listen. I’ll just, like, sleep here”. Emil finally looked at him, raising a brow.

“No, you won’t. You’ll probably listen, you’re a liar” he retorted with a huff. Kaoru frowned.

“Yeah, right. Like, why should I? Sure you think you’re that important” Kaoru gave a mischievous grin while Emil pouted.

“Sure you’re arrogant for one that has been just saved by an angel” he fumed, crossing his arms. This only amused the demon more.

“That wouldn’t have been necessary if you weren’t stalking me” Kaoru provoked him, still grinning and satisfied with himself. 

“What? I wasn’t. I don’t care about you” Emil defended himself. As he was about to add something, Tino sighed.

“Calm down, you two. I don’t want to hear you bickering in my house, especially if Peter’s listening” he said putting the second wet towel on Emil’s head. The latter looked at him curiously. “Who’s Peter?” he asked.

“My son” Tino replied with a tender smile “me and my husband found him in the woods when he was still in diapers. Now he’s ten years old, you should meet him afterwards. He’s such a polite young man” while Tino talked, Emil couldn’t help but smile. Kaoru watched them chatting about this child named Peter and he didn’t feel like interrupting them. No matter what he was going to say, they would think badly of him anyways. 

Tino changed the topic abruptly. “By the way, when you’ll be completely recovered, I want you two to go straight back home without coming here ever again. And don’t tell anyone I’m here” he added, looking at Emil, who frowned. “Why? My brothers are worried sick” he inquired. Tino sighed. “Please. I’ll meet them again someday, could you please keep the secret?” he asked again. Emil closed his eyes. “Okay then” he consented, not fully convinced though.

“Also, stay in your human form. My family doesn’t know anything about this, and I’d like for the situation to remain as it is” Tino continued. Emil nodded.

“Whatever. Just this once” Kaoru sighed, back facing the angels. Emil glared at him, but Tino just smiled.

“Everything’s settled, then! Rest well, and don’t bicker!” he said, his tone cheerful as before, then closed the door behind him to go into the kitchen.

Kaoru touched his forehead: that was a strange situation indeed. A former angel with a human family saving both his angel friend and the demon who was trying to kill him. Well, not necessarily killing him. Unlike other demons, Kaoru didn’t really feel that natural hatred which his companions felt for angels: Yong Soo, Yao, even Cheng, they despised angels without even questioning why, it was like getting rid of them was their only reason to live. But Kaoru? He felt nothing. He just wanted to protect his family, his enemies were only the ones threatening his clan, nothing more, nothing less. Out of fear of being rejected, he kept those positive feelings secret.

“Headache?” 

Kaoru turned only to find Emil peeking at him from the blankets. He didn’t even hate Emil. But he had felt something when the two of them had fought. Interest? The thrill of him being the first angel Kaoru had to take down all by himself? The innocence Kaoru saw in his eyes which was everything his family had taught him to search for and tarnish? He didn’t know. But he decided to call that emotion ‘hate’. 

“Shut up” he said, turning again to face the wall. He was probably making fun of him with that question, anyways. Kaoru heard Emil hiss.

“Well, sorry!” he sarcastically grunted. 

_ It’s alright. I’ll hate him. I’ll hate him so much that my family will be proud. It’ll be alright. _

***

The day after, Emil woke up very early in the morning: the sun wasn’t even up in the sky. He had slept well and felt refreshed, but his mind was elsewhere. When he was little, he had both Mathias and Lukas telling him stories about their past, how they met, the demons they fought against, troubles they – well, mostly Mathias – caused at the Academy. But the memories they most fondly shared were those with their friend Tino: one of the best snipers ever lived, he was always a loyal and funny friend to them, happy as a clam when little Emil joined them. Then, he suddenly disappeared. Emil remembered little, but something he couldn’t forget was the sad expression his brother had for years while searching for his friend. 

Now, Emil didn’t know what to do. He should tell his brothers, they would be so happy and maybe they could help Tino solve his problems, if he had any, and go back to mount Solomon. Or should he respect Tino’s wish and leave him be with his beloved family? 

Emil groaned and looked beside his bed, only to find the demon staring at him. Emil jolted. “What the– what are you looking at? You creep” 

“It amuses me how you, like, pouted while looking at the ceiling like you were angry at it for sheltering you” Kaoru mocked.

“Goodness, why do you tease me so much? Give me a break” Emil glared at him, hoping to get his message across.

“Because I hate you, that’s why” Kaoru replied before sticking his tongue out at him and turning to face the wall.

“You sound like a kid” Emil commented while he sat up in his bed. Kaoru didn’t move.

“You sound like an old woman” 

“I’m barely one hundred years old!”

“I said ‘you sound’. Like, is your hearing that bad? Must be old age”

“Screw that, you  _ are  _ a kid”

“Say that again, I dare you”

“What? That you’re a kid?”

“I swear to–”

“Good morning!” Tino’s happy voice greeted them as he entered the room. “You should see what lovely day is today! I’ve made some biscuits for you, my husband said they’re delicious!” 

The content of the tray he placed beside them wasn’t by any means something you’d call “biscuits”: the two guests swore they’d never seen slimy sweets before. Emil nodded while Kaoru gulped. “Oh! I hope you weren’t fighting again!” Tino added with a strange smile. The two of them shook their heads vigorously. “I’m happy to hear that! Now eat and get ready” he concluded, then left the room. 

Kaoru took a biscuit. “Like, is this even edible?” 

“I don’t know, why don’t you try? If it’s poisonous I’ll know” Emil grunted, and to his surprise Kaoru ate one. 

“It’s not that bad” he commented. Mouth agape, Emil took a bite himself. It was not before long that he covered his lips, almost throwing up, even if he managed to swallow. Kaoru laughed at him.

“You have the best faces! Is that, like, a natural talent?” he joked, while Emil was furious. 

“Very funny” he mumbled. 

Kaoru took another biscuit, then burnt it, pleased with the upset face Emil made because of that. “Since we’re, like, stuck here for sometime, we should really get along. Don’t make that face, I’d beat you up if I could, but you know, I can’t really stand this tense atmosphere. Plus, that Tino scares me, I don’t want to get killed because I mocked some little angel” he stated. Emil raised a brow at him: was he asking for a truce? A demon, for crying out loud. The same demon who told him to shut up when he was trying to be nice.

“Whatever, I just want some peace and quiet” he blurted. Emil knew he didn’t hate him, as angels couldn’t hate. The ones living in Heaven and in the Angel Kingdom didn’t even feel negative emotions; archangels, on the other hand, did. That was obviously due to the human world’s impurity, but even with that, the negative feelings they could have were never as strong as hate, rage or envy. When Kaoru talked, Emil felt irritated, but that was because of what the demon was saying, his teasing and his bad manners. He wondered if they would have been friends if they were both angels. 

He immediately shook his head. 

Suddenly, Kaoru got up. And rather effortlessly for someone who had been asleep for days. Emil thought he was up to no good. “Where are you going?”

“It’s so boring here. I’ll, like, explore this area”

“It’s a small house, what kind of exploring are you up to?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not in the mood to corrupt someone”

“I don’t believe you”

Then Kaoru got close. Very close. Their noses were almost touching. Emil noted that in his human form his eyes were dark brown with hints of gold. It was the first time the white-haired boy thought that something belonging to a demon looked beautiful.

“Do you think I’m lying now?” Kaoru asked with a low yet soothing voice. Emil averted his eyes.

“Make some trouble and you’ll have to deal with the consequences!” he huffed without moving. After what it seemed like an eternity, Kaoru moved away.

“Alright, angel face” he smirked, walking away. Emil covered himself with the blankets. 

“Who does he think he is?!”

 

And time went by. Ten minutes. Half an hour. One hour. Emil couldn’t even sleep, boredom was eating him alive and that demon wasn’t back. He decided to get up and search for him, so he wouldn’t have to stand still and he would prevent Kaoru from doing something stupid. He wore his now clean shirt and headed out of the room.

The house wasn’t big to begin with, but Emil couldn’t find Kaoru anywhere. Then, when he decided to go outside, he found an odd scene before him: Kaoru, head crowned with a garland of daisies, was sitting in front of a blond child with bushy eyebrows, while the two of them were clapping their hands rhythmically while chanting what sounded like a nursery rhyme.

“ Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack  
all dressed in black, black, black  
with silver buttons, buttons, buttons  
all down her back, back, back!

She asked her mother, mother, mother  
for fifty cents, cents, cents  
to see the elephants, elephants, elephants  
jump the fence, fence, fence!”

The lyrics didn’t make any sense to Emil, but he found himself smiling a little at the silly scene. He watched them until the child noticed him and smiled. 

“Come play with us!” he said while running up to him. “My name’s Peter! What’s yours?”

Emil took a step back reflexively. He wasn’t really good at socializing with other angels, let alone with human children. And that was why he couldn’t even answer.

“Leave him be. He doesn’t like playing around” Kaoru stated, rising up to his feet. Emil glared at him.

“Don’t be mean! Looks like you were having fun, instead” the white-haired teased. The other boy frowned.

“I was, does that bother you? Or should I be, like, bothering people all the time instead? You know, to fit your stereotype” he glared back. Emil was taken aback a bit. He didn’t mean to sound rude, he just wanted to get back at the demon for mocking him before.

“What’s a steotape?” Peter asked, looking at Kaoru expectantly. The latter gave him a tiny smile, that faded as quickly as it had appeared.

“Stereotype. It’s when you think that, like, people who share some similarities are all the same. Like, I dunno, if I see a blondie eating chocolates, I guess all blonde people like chocolate. That’s, you know, incorrect” he explained. Peter crossed his arms.

“So do you think people with brown hair are meanies?” he asked Emil with a pout. Emil shook his head vigorously.

“No! Not at all. I just…” he didn’t know what to say. He knew he was in the right, demons were evil, but there was no way he could explain that to a human child, thus he felt like the mean one there.

Peter grabbed his wrist. “If you say no, I believe you. My Papa always tells me to trust people until proven wrong!”

Emil couldn’t hide a small smile. “That’s risky, you know” he warned. Peter just shrugged.

“You don’t look naughty. I’d never let you be the evil wizard in my castle, I would defeat you in an instant!” the boy claimed. Kaoru smirked and Emil frowned.

“Then what?” he asked a bit too abruptly. Peter made a guilty face, and Emil felt he was about to be misunderstood again. But something unexpected happened.

Kaoru put an arm around his neck. “You’re right. This one here’s more like an ice prince. Sounds cold but he’s actually very nice, isn’t he?”

Emil was about to protest, but Peter smiled in delight. “Yes! He’s a prince! I’ve yet to figure you out, Kaoru, but I’m the King!” he happily beamed. Kaoru took his arm away and looked at Peter, who turned around suddenly. “That’s right! What’s your name?”

The white-haired angel blushed a bit for the attention as he joined the two playing.

“I’m Emil”


End file.
